FoodSafetyTechWe've all heard about the latest disrupters in the retail supply chain, like the internet of things, wearable computers, cognitive analytics, machine learning and even the new value chain in which these technologies intercede to provide a better and more accurate shopping experience for consumers. There are also developments like digital fabrication that interacts with both the consumer and appliances to improve the way product gets to the consumer from the point of production.
Technology disrupters can fundamentally change supply chains, destroying existing ones and creating new ones. Other disruptions can be caused by not a single technology but by several new and existing technologies that come together in innovative ways. Smart retailers and their trading partners are working to judge the impact of these technology disrupters before or at least as they occur. They need to be more proactive by investing in key areas of strategy, culture and partnership.READ MORE

Food Navigator-USAThe idea of eating a burger grown in a lab rather than from a cow raised on a farm and slaughtered for its meat may sound like something out of a science fiction story set far in the future, but in reality, the commercialization of so-called "clean meat" could be as little as four or five years away.
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Civil Eats"Our farmers deserve a government that serves their interest and empowers them to do the hard work that they love to do so much," said President Donald Trump when signing an executive order titled "Promoting Agriculture and Prosperity in Rural America" April 25. Speaking to a group of 14 agribusiness representatives assembled for the event, he added "I'm directing [Agriculture] Secretary Perdue to work with other members of my cabinet to identify and eliminate unnecessary regulations that hurt our nation's farmers and rural communities." Translation? If the Trump administration has its way, deregulation in the farm industry lies ahead.
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USAgNetPresident Donald Trump's criticism of the protected Canadian dairy system has emboldened American farm groups to tackle other longstanding agriculture irritants, as the countries move toward rewriting trade rules. U.S. poultry exporters, who include Tyson Foods Inc. and Pilgrims Pride Corp., as well as egg sellers, are expected to seek greater access to Canada's tightly controlled market in renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
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The AtlanticThere are many parts of the world where, for much of human history, food was likely a dull visual affair. Take Tuscany, the culinarily renowned region of Italy that the writer Bill Buford muses on in his book about cooking, "Heat." He details a near-monochrome local cuisine that has been passed down through the generations: Crostini with chicken-liver paté? Brown. Beans? Brown. Roasted pork, veal, sausage? Brown, brown, brown. Even the vegetables: Buford classifies Tuscan artichokes and olives as "green-brown," and more amusingly, the porcini mushrooms as "brown-brown."
Over the past 150 years, food companies and marketers in other parts of the world have taken eating in a more visually thrilling (if a little disorienting) direction. They have used dyes to alter mass-produced foods — sometimes to make them less natural-looking, sometimes to make them more natural-looking (pickles made greener to fit with consumers' expectations). Both intentions are, upon further inspection, sort of strange. The first one is odd because it's not entirely clear, even to researchers, why anything with some abnormally bright colors would be appetizing at all, given that when, say, the color blue appears in nature, it's often a sign of spoilage or poison. And the second is a paradox: How could a food be made to look "more natural" by virtue of artificial additives?READ MORE

Food Navigator-USARetail sales of poultry are expected to increase over the ensuing five years thanks to poultry's cost advantages relative to many types of meat, according to the latest report on the meat and poultry category by Packaged Facts.
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Food DiveWal-Mart has filed a patent for technology that would track consumers' usage of everything from toothpaste to shoes, automatically place reorders and suggest additional products.
The system, which would rely on sensors placed on products, would be a close competitor to Amazon's Dash Buttons, which allow consumers to order branded products at the push of a button.
Wal-Mart has applied for numerous patents related to its in-store and e-commerce technology efforts. But this is the first patent that applies to internet-connected technology in the home.READ MORE

Food Safety NewsHaving found Listeria monocytogenes in a production plant, Pinnacle Foods Inc. initiated a recall of all best-by dates of a variety of flavors of Aunt Jemima and Hungry Man branded frozen pancakes, waffles and french toast.
The recall is nationwide in the U.S. and includes more than a dozen products. One product is being recalled in Mexico. The recall includes products sent to grocery retailers and food service operators.
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USAgNetGlobal food commodity prices fell in April amid expectations of ongoing robust supplies of many key staples.
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Price Index averaged 168 points in April, down 1.8 percent from March although remaining 10 percent higher than a year earlier.
The Sugar Price Index led the decline, dropping 9.1 percent on the month as large export supplies from Brazil met with continued weak global import demand.
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Food DiveAcquisitions have been good to B&G Foods, which has continued to see favorable results from brands new to its portfolio. The latest earnings report is no exception. Late last year, the company acquired Victoria Fine Foods Holding Company and Victoria Fine Foods LLC, as well as the spices and seasonings segment of ACH Food Companies Inc. Both acquisitions did well for B&G in the first quarter and are expected to improve even more as time goes on. READ MORE